A Seireitei Christmas
by Allen the Musician
Summary: Christmas is fast approaching and the inhabitants of the Seireitei are getting in the holiday spirit.  Reviews are welcome and appreciated.


DISCLAIMER- I do not own Bleach. I simply did this for my own amusement and hopefully for yours.

SUMMARY- Christmas is approaching and the inhabitants of the Seireitei are preparing.

A Seireitei Christmas

Christmas was fast approaching and since everything had been going so bad lately Captains Ukitake and Kyouraku decided that the inhabitants of the Seireitei needed a little Christmas cheer.

"We should have a party," Kyouraku announced, drinking yet another cup of sake. The captain of Squad Eight was a general slacker who looked for any excuse to avoid work.

"You know that's not a bad idea," Ukitake said, knowing for a fact that he'd heard much worse from his long-time friend. "Everyone around here could use a little cheering up. So where shall we have this party?"

"I know just the place," Kyouraku said. "Leave it to me."

Ukitake nodded and the two captains parted ways.

Kyouraku left the Squad Thirteen barracks, where he'd been hanging out with Ukitake, and quickly made his way to the Squad Ten barracks where he tracked down one of his drinking buddies, Tenth Squad vice-captain Rangiku Matsumoto.

"So here's the deal Rangiku," Kyouraku said, pouring the two of them a drink. "Ukitake and I have decided that everyone around here is too uptight, what with the coming war and all and we decided that we should celebrate the season with a party. The trouble is that we don't have a place to host this party."

"Don't worry Captain Kyouraku," Matsumoto said, helping herself to some more sake. "You can use our conference room. I'm sure the captain won't mind."

"That's great Matsumoto," Kyouraku said with a smile. "You're a lifesaver."

Matsumoto smiled. "It's no problem."

"So would you and some of your friends like to help with the decorations?"

"I think I can round up a few people who could be coerced into helping," Matsumoto said.

"That's great," Kyouraku said. "Tell you what, let's meet there in about half an hour and get to work."

Matsumoto nodded and the two parted ways.

Matsumoto left the Squad Ten barracks and made her way to the Squad Five barracks where she tracked down the Fifth Squad vice-captain Momo Hinamori.

"What are you up to Rangiku?" Hinamori asked, recognizing the look on Matsumoto's face.

"We're planning a Christmas party," Matsumoto said. "And I was wondering if you'd like to help with the decorations?"

"That sounds like fun," Hinamori said. "Sure I'll help."

"That's great," Matsumoto said with a smile. "We're all meeting back in the Squad Ten conference room."

That comment gave Hinamori pause. "Does Toushirou know about this?"

"Not yet," Matsumoto said, ignoring the concerned expression on Hinamori's face. "But I'm gonna tell him really soon."

"Okay," Hinamori said, although she sounded slightly worried, and the two parted ways.

After recruiting Hinamori Matsumoto made her way to the Squad Three barracks where she proceeded to recruit the Third Squad vice-captain Izuru Kira for the decorating work. After pretty much the same reaction as Hinamori, wanting to know whether or not Captain Hitsugaya knew about the party, he too agreed to help.

Half an hour later Matsumoto made her way back to the Squad Ten barracks where she found a group of people gathered. Kyouraku returned soon after her and he carried a large box full of decorations.

"All right everyone let's get to work."

With that everyone grabbed something out of the box and proceeded to decorate the room. Every so often someone would ask Matsumoto whether or not her captain knew about this and every time she gave the same answer, "I'm going to tell him soon."

While that group was decorating the Squad Ten conference room Ukitake had rounded up some people to be in charge of refreshments. Vice-captain of Squad Nine, Shuhei Hisagi, vice-captain of Squad Six Renji Abarai and the substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki.

Ukitake scratched the back of his head as he stared at this unusual group. "Okay, so can any of you cook?"

The three guys all stared at one another and then turned back to Ukitake and shook their heads.

Ukitake sighed. "This might not work out so well. Okay I guess we'll give it a try and hope for the best. And if it doesn't turn out so well we'll send Ichigo and Renji to the living world for snacks."

"We could send for Rukia," Ichigo suggested. "I think she kinda knows how to cook."

Renji turned to stare at Ichigo. "The only experience she's had with cooking was with Orihime and no disrespect intended but the others probably wouldn't appreciate that."

"You're probably right," Ichigo conceded.

Back at the Squad Ten barracks the decorators had hung wreaths and the like on the walls and doors and now Matsumoto was looking for someone to go and fetch a Christmas tree.

"Kira," she said finally. "Go out into the forest and get us a tree."

"A tree?" Kira repeated.

Matsumoto nodded. "It's a custom to decorate a tree with lights and pretty ornaments for Christmas. Therefore we need a tree. Go get one."

"Okay," Kira said. "If that's what you want."

Kira left the Squad Ten barracks and made his way out to the forest. Once there he surveyed the various trees, wondering exactly what kind of tree they needed. After awhile he narrowed the choices down to a couple of bushy ones and, making his choice, he used his zanbakto to cut the tree down. Then he tied a rope to it and drug it back to the Squad Ten barracks.

"Here Rangiku," Kira said as he slid the door open and pulled the tree into the conference room. "Here's your tree."

"It's perfect!" Matsumoto exclaimed, running over and throwing her arms around Kira. "You did a good job."

Matsumoto grabbed the tree, pulled it across the room and stood it up in one of the corners. Then she ran back over to the box of decorations, grabbed something out of it and thrust it into Kira's arms.

"What the hell I'm I supposed to do with these?" Kira asked, holding up a long string of multi-colored bulbs.

"You're supposed to hang them around the top of the room," Matsumoto said.

"How?" Kira asked, staring up at the vaulted ceiling.

"Use your zanbakto," Hinamori suggested.

"You know that's not a bad idea," Kira said drawing the sword. "Raise your head Wabisuke."

The end of Kira's sword bent obligingly into an upside down hook which he used to hang the strings of Christmas lights.

"See," Matsumoto said when he'd finished. "That wasn't so hard."

Kira opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by the shattering of glass. He and Matsumoto turned to find Ikkaku and Yumichika batting Christmas ornaments back and forth with their zanbakto.

"Hey," Matsumoto cried out as another glass ball hit the floor and shattered, running over to stop them. "That's not what those are for. You're supposed to hang them on that tree over there in the corner."

Ikkaku turned and stared at the barren tree that Matsumoto had indicated. "Why would we do that?"

"Because that's what you're supposed to do," Matsumoto said angrily.

Matsumoto grabbed the surviving ornaments and walked over to the tree, shaking her head as she went. "Come on Momo. It looks like it's up to us to do this. If we leave it to the guys there's no telling what it'll look like."

"Alright," Hinamori said, walking over to the tree. She picked up an ornament and placed it on the branches of the tree.

Matsumoto did the same thing and in no time the two of them had the tree decorated. The rest of the group gathered around to admire the tree.

"That's kind of cool," Kira said, staring at the tree.

Hisagi stared in horror as Renji and Ichigo attacked the turkey, which they were supposed to be cooking. Captain Ukitake had told them to cook the bird however neither seemed quite sure how to go about that.

"I think we should cut it up," Ichigo said, staring at the large bird. "I'm not sure it'll fit in the oven this way."

"Alright," Renji said, unsheathing his zanbakto.

"NO!" Hisagi exclaimed. "Wait. . .Don't. . ."

"Howl Zabimaru!"

Giving it up as a lost cause Hisagi ran from the room. As he fled he ran into Ukitake, who held a confused look on his face.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you Captain," Hisagi said, gazing back toward the kitchen.

At that moment a loud crash issued from the kitchen.

Ukitake rushed into the kitchen, and what he found when he entered the room, was Ichigo and Renji standing amongst a mass of debris, covered in burns and abrasions.

"I told you not to do it that way!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Well I didn't see you offering any suggestions," Renji countered, just as angry as Ichigo.

Ukitake shook his head as he gazed at the pair of them. "This was a bad idea."

Hisagi entered the room at this point. Gazing at the mess and Ichigo and Renji's wounds, he turned to Ukitake. "Should I send for Squad Four?"

Ukitake shook his head. "No they made the mess and they can clean it up. As for their wounds, they're not life threatening."

Upon hearing that statement Ichigo and Renji ceased their argument and turned to the captain. "Oh come on Ukitake."

"Don't even try to talk your way out of this," Ukitake said, close to wishing at this point that he hadn't agreed to this. "Just clean up the mess."

"Fine," Ichigo and Renji said.

Matsumoto and her group had finished decorating the Squad Ten conference room and as she stood back to admire their handy work she realized that Captain Kyouraku was nowhere around.

"So much for will you help with the decorating," Matsumoto said, rolling her eyes. "Somehow he always manages to avoid doing any of the work."

And despite her iritation Matsumoto was to a certain degree impressed with the captain's skill. She could learn a thing or two from him.

"Alright guys it looks like we're done," Matsumoto told her group. "I guess I'll see you on Christmas Eve."

The group members all nodded and left the room.

Later that day Matsumoto was walking down the hall when she ran into her captain, who was heading in the direction of the conference room. Knowing that walking into the brightly decorated room would not be the best way for him to find out about it Matsumoto quickly seized his attention.

"Captain," Matsumoto called out. "Just the person I was looking for. I need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"I have a question about my paperwork," Matsumoto said, leading him back down the hall to the office.

Instantly suspicious, Hitsugaya eyed his vice-captain. It seemed odd to him that she would have a question about paperwork since she so rarely did it. However he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and followed her to the office.

When they reached the office Matsumoto realized that her plan had a flaw, since she hadn't been doing paperwork. So she quickly pretended to have lost the paperwork.

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. Matsumoto really was hopeless.

It was Christmas Eve and Hitsugaya was walking around the Seireitei, which seemed oddly abandoned.

"I wonder what's going on?" he thought to himself as he made his way to the Squad Ten barracks. When he reached his office he found that his vice-captain wasn't there however there seemed to be a great deal of noise coming from the conference room down the hall.

"What the. . ." Leaving the office, Hitsugaya made his way down the hall. The noise level grew louder the nearer he got to the conference room and when he opened the door the noise was deafening.

At least until the room's occupants realized who it was that had just walked in.

"Hey there Toushirou," Ichigo called out, grinning at the young captain. "Welcome to the party!"

A vein popped out on Hitsugaya's forehead and his gaze went immediately to his vice-captain, who he knew had had a hand in this.

"Captain," Matsumoto said, nervously glancing at the angry expression on her captain's face. "I can explain. I was going to tell you about this but with all the planning, I sorta forgot."

Saying nothing, Hitsugaya drew his zanbakto from it's sheath.

"Oh crap," Renji said, covering his head with his hands. "I think he's pissed."

Hitsugaya swung Hyourinmaru over his head, causing everyone to flinch, however instead of the attack that everyone had been expecting, a gentle snow began to fall on the room's inhabitants.

"Merry Christmas," Hitsugaya said, smiling slightly and entering the room.

Ukitake smiled as the young captain joined them. He walked over to Hitsugaya and leaned over, so that he would not be overheard. "I wouldn't eat the food if I were you."

Before Hitsugaya had a chance to ask why, Hinamori ran up and shoved a red Santa's hat over his white hair and then she gave him a hug. "Merry Christmas Toushirou!"

And for once the young captain didn't correct her on his title. He returned her hug and said, "Merry Christmas Momo."


End file.
